TOM ZANETOS

It was appropriate to select Tom Zanetos as chairman for the 75th Anniversary Committee since he is the son of Anthony Zanetos, one of the founders of our community.

Antonios Tzanetopoulos came from Andritsaina in 1907. He changed his name to Anthony Zanetos and apprenticed as a candy maker in Columbus.

In 1917 he married Arhondoula (Lula) Pathis in Columbus, and they had five children. Tom was the second oldest, born in 1920. When Tom returned from World War II, he joined his father in the candy business. They formed the Anthony-Thomas Candy Company in 1946.

Tom recalls his father with great warmth. Anthony Zanetos had finished high school in Greece and was very literate. He loved histories and his religion. His love for reading and learning never waned, and his strong sense of loyalty never allowed him to forget those he had left behind in Greece. Typical of so many early Greek immigrants, he often sent money to help the struggling relatives survive. Anthony was a gregarious individual who loved people and who served the Greek community in countless ways. He died in 1966 at 81 years of age.

Son Tom was raised in the ethnic traditions of the day, with the Orthodox Church at the hub of family life. He and his wife Agnes have continued in that same pattern with their own four sons; Anthony, Joe, Greg, and Tim.

The activities that took place during 1987 were designed not only to celebrate our 75th anniversary, but to infuse again in us a desire to touch base with our roots. It was a full but exhilarating year for Tom as he sensed so often that he was carrying the torch his father handed to him. He looks forward with great anticipation to the new cathedral and to a new understanding of what it means to be Greek
Orthodox.

Dear Fellow Greek-Americans,

All this year we have been celebrating the 75th anniversary of our church and our community. It was the vision, daring, and enterprise of our parents and all those early immigrants that made this possible.

Tom Zanetos with portrait of his father,
Anthony Zanetos.

When I was selected to serve as chairman, I felt that I had somehow come full circle. My father was chairman of the building committee when our present church was built in 1922.

The thought that kept running through my mind was how can I or anyone else fill the shoes of those pioneers that walked here before us. It has given me a feeling of pride, joy, and humility.

As chairman, I would like to express my most sincere appreciation and deep gratitude to the members of the executive committee, committee chairmen, and everyone who has served to help make this anniversary year an unforgettable milestone in the history of our community.

Sincerely,

Tom Zanetos, Chairman